Fine Arts

Directed By Mr. Tyler Johnson
In response to both student and community interest, the Roman Catholic Choir was rebooted during the 2025 school year. The group consists of singers of varying levels of experience, from All-Catholic Choir members to first-timers. This past year, the choir performed during the Spring Semester both during the Spring Concert at the Howard Center for the Arts and for the Sisters of Saint Joseph at their villa in Flourtown. The group also sings at school Masses at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul and school assemblies during Veteran's Day, Christmas, and more! The Roman Catholic choir is directed by Mr. Tyler Johnson.

Directed By Mr. Ian Taylor

The Roman Catholic band program comprises two ensemble classes as well as extracurricular opportunities. Students with little or no prior experience can take Intro To Music to learn the fundamentals of instrumental music performance, while those with a year or more experience can study at a higher level in the Advanced Band. Students in the Roman Catholic bands can opt to study flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, tuba, percussion, and more. Students in both classes perform biannually in the Christmas and Spring concerts. The Advanced band also appears at other annual events, including the Veterans Day assembly, the Homecoming football game, the National Honor Society induction ceremony, and Commencement.

Jazz Band

Jazz Band is offered as an extracurricular club, meeting weekly after school to study jazz style and improvisation. The jazz band performs several times per year, including at biannual school concerts, the Greater Philadelphia Area Leadership Award Dinner, and other school functions. Instrumentation is flexible and in recent years has included saxophones, trumpet, trombone, piano, bass guitar, and drum set.

Play On Philly

Roman Catholic partners with Play On Philly (POP) to host various additional after-school music ensembles. Students can audition to join the POP Chamber Orchestra on Wednesday afternoons, featuring full symphonic instrumentation, as well as one of several small chamber ensembles: brass, wind, string, or percussion. Students involved with Play On Philly rehearse twice weekly with an array of student musicians who come from schools all around Philadelphia. Recent POP performances have included a side-by-side collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra as well as playing the national anthem at a Phillies game.

Directed By Mr. Kyle Krause 

Roman Catholic has recently outfitted the Howard Center with a new piano lab. The facility comprises 15 Korg D1 digital pianos, which feature 88 weighted keys and an array of 30 possible sounds. Each keyboard workstation is equipped with headphones for individual practice and connected to a central control center, allowing the teacher to listen in and provide feedback. This lab allows Roman Catholic to accommodate significant interest from the student body in beginning and advanced piano skills. Two sections of piano class will be rostered for the 2025-26 school year and the lab will also be available for supervised use by after-school clubs.

Directed By Ms. Shannon Gallagher 

Art courses at Roman Catholic provide students with an immersive art experience in a studio environment. Working hands-on, students investigate the impact of process, technique, and material on artistic expression and visual communication. Students build a foundation with the study of the formal elements of art (line, shape, value, texture, color, and space) and the development of traditional technical skills in Art I. As they progress into Art II, students begin exploring mixed media, non-traditional media, abstraction, and three-dimensional construction. The advanced courses - Art III, IV, and AP - guide students in the creation of portfolios; these classes focus on fostering individual artistic strengths and self-expression while creating a cohesive body of work. 

As of 2025, Roman's art program has expanded with the installation of new kilns and ceramic equipment! Art I-IV classes now offer students opportunities to learn basic hand-building  and sculptural techniques in clay. Outside of class, all clay-curious students are welcome to join RCHS's "mud club" - the Ceramics Club offered after school throughout the year.

Directed By Mr. John Pensabene 

In a digital photography class, students learn the fundamentals of capturing, editing, and presenting high-quality digital images. They begin by studying the basic functions of a digital camera, such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, and focus. Students practice using these settings to control exposure, depth of field, and motion in their photos. As the course progresses, students work on themed photo assignments, encouraging creativity and storytelling through photography. They often engage in photo walks, both on and off campus, to build their portfolios and gain real-world experience. In addition to shooting photos, students learn how to enhance images using Adobe Photoshop.

Directed By Mr. Zach Demusz '18

This course introduces students to the art and craft of digital video creation while developing technical fluency with Adobe Creative Cloud. Students will gain hands-on experience with industry-standard tools such as Premiere Pro and After Effects, learning to edit, design, and produce professional-quality video content. Through a variety of projects, they will explore storytelling, visual communication, and creative expression, building both practical skills and artistic confidence. Whether for academic projects, social media, marketing, or personal storytelling, students will leave this course with a strong foundation in video production, an expanded creative toolkit, and the confidence to use video as a powerful medium for the future.